Sorkin tackles cable TV news for HBO

The writer who gave us soaring patriotic monologues about democracy from White House aides in “The West Wing,” who delivered smart dissertations on the American justice system in “A Few Good Men” and savvy observations about the power of new media in “The Social Network” is now set to produce a drama about cable TV news for HBO.

Aaron Sorkin, one of today’s most prolific and accomplished drama creators, gets to tackle the corporate control, the political/ideological bent, the instant gratification, the runaway egos and the rest of what makes cable news so aggravating in this as-yet-untitled project. Imagine how much material the election season holds for him.

Of course Sorkin is also the guy who misfired badly with characters speechifying about the history of entertainment in “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” But his “The West Wing” and “Sports Night” before that more than make up for that failure. Besides, he has a sense of humor: he’s parodied himself doing a walk-and-talk on “30 Rock.” Priceless.

According to the HBO release:

The series centers on a cable news anchor (Jeff Daniels), his new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), his newsroom staff (Alison Pill, John Gallagher, Jr., Olivia Munn, Dev Patel, Thomas Sadoski) and their boss (Sam Waterston). Together they set out on a patriotic and quixotic mission to do the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles and their own personal entanglements.

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.